CE 6301

Lecture 8
Organics Removal
Arsenic removal
Fluoride removal

M.Sc. /PhD; Semester: July 2016

Professor Dr. S. M. Moniruzzaman
Department of Civil Engineering
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 Organics in Water

The term organics in this document means

compounds that have the element carbon as a
principal constituent. Organic compounds can be of
many types and have many origins. Some organics
in drinking water are caused by the decay of naturally
occurring vegetation. These decay compounds are
called lignins or tannins. The presence of these
compounds, dissolved in water, would be part of the
natural environmental condition of that water
resource.
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 Introduction
A much larger group of organic contaminants are the
thousands of manmade organic chemicals that have been
created in the last 50 years. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) regulates some of these
contaminants as health risks in the Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA). The upper acceptable concentration of regulated
contaminants in drinking water is called the maximum
contaminant level (MCL).

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 Introduction
These manmade organic contaminants can be grouped into
subcategories that are often more recognized (and more
easily pronounced) than the more formal chemical name.
These subcategories are given below, along with a few
illustrations of specific contaminants in each subcategory.
Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, carbon
tetrachloride
Hydrocarbons, such as benzene, xylene, toluene
Pesticides, such as aldicarb and chlordane
Herbicides, such as alachor and silvex
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Organic Treatment Technologies

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 A. Activated Carbon
Activated carbon is carbon that has been exposed to
very high temperatures, creating a vast network of
internal pores.
Two types of activated carbon, granular and
powdered, have been used widely in drinking water
treatment. Powdered activated carbon (PAC), which
is most often used for taste and odor control, is
added directly to the raw water and removed by
settling in sedimentation basins.
GAC removes many organic contaminants as well as
taste and odor from water supplies.
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 B. Aeration

Aeration, also known as air stripping, mixes air

with water to volatilize contaminants (turn
them to vapor). The volatilized contaminants
are either released directly to the atmosphere
or treated and released. Aeration is used to
remove volatile organic chemicals and can
also remove radon.

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 Diffused Aeration

In a diffused aeration system, a diffuser bubbles air through

a contact chamber for aeration. The diffuser is usually
located near the bottom of the chamber. The air introduced
through the diffuser, usually under pressure, produces fine
bubbles that create water-air mixing turbulence as they rise
through the chamber.

The main advantage of diffused aeration systems is that

they can be created from existing structures, such as
storage tanks. However, they are less effective than packed
column aeration, and usually are employed only in systems
with adaptable existing structures.

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 Multiple Tray Aeration

Multiple tray aeration directs water through a series of

trays made of slats, perforations, or wire mesh. A
blower introduces air from underneath the trays.

Multiple tray aeration units have less surface area than

PCA units. This type of aeration is not as effective as
PCA and can experience clogging from iron and
manganese, biological growth, and corrosion problems.

Multiple tray aeration units are readily available from

package plant manufacturers.
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 Mechanical Aeration

Mechanical aeration uses mechanical stirring mecha-nisms

to mix air with the water. These systems can effectively
remove volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).

Mechanical aeration units need large amounts of space

because they demand long detention times for effective
treatment. As a result, they often require open-air designs,
which can freeze in cold climates. These units also can have
high energy requirements. However, mechanical aeration
systems are easy to operate and are less susceptible to
clogging from biological growth than PCA systems.

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 Catenary Grid

Catenary grid systems are a variation of the packed

column aeration process. The catenary grid directs
water through a series of wire screens mounted within
the column. The screens mix the air and water in the
same way as packing materials in PCA systems.

These systems can effectively remove VOCs. They have

higher energy requirements than PCA systems, but
their more compact design lowers their capital cost
relative to PCA.

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 Higee Aeration

Higee aeration is another variation of the PCA process.

These systems pump water into the center of a spinning
disc of packing material, where the water mixes with air.

Higee units require less packing material than PCA units to

achieve the same removal efficiencies. Because of their
compact size, they can be used in limited spaces and
heights. Current Higee systems are best suited for a
temporary application of less than 1 year with capacities up
to 380 liters (100 gallons) per minute.

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Packed Tower Aeration

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 ARSENIC IN WATER
Arsenic occurs naturally in rocks and soil, water, air, and
plants and animals. It can be further released into the
environment through natural activities such as volcanic
action, erosion of rocks and forest fires, or through human
actions. Approximately 90 percent of industrial arsenic in the
U.S. is currently used as a wood preservative, but arsenic is
also used in paints, dyes, metals, drugs, soaps and semi-
conductors. High arsenic levels can also come from certain
fertilizers and animal feeding operations. Industry practices
such as copper smelting, mining and coal burning also
contribute to arsenic in our environment.

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Introduction
Higher levels of arsenic tend to be found more in ground water
sources than in surface water sources (i.e., lakes and rivers) of
drinking water. The demand on ground water from municipal
systems and private drinking water wells may cause water levels to
drop and release arsenic from rock formations

#Mining wastes from the processing of gold ore were deposited in Whitewood
Creek, South Dakota, for more than 100 years. About 100 million tons of finely
ground gold-mill tailings, containing arsenic and other trace elements, mixed with
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natural sediments and were deposited in channels and flood plains downstream.
Effect
Exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause various health effects, such as
irritation of the stomach and intestines, decreased production of red and
white blood cells, skin changes and lung irritation. It is suggested that the
uptake of significant amounts of inorganic arsenic can intensify the chances
of cancer development, especially the chances of development of skin
cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and lymphatic cancer.

A very high exposure to inorganic arsenic can cause infertility and

miscarriages with women, and it can cause skin disturbances, declined
resistance to infections, heart disruptions and brain damage with both men
and women.

Finally, inorganic arsenic can damage DNA.

A lethal dose of arsenic oxide is generally regarded as 100 mg.

Organic arsenic can cause neither cancer, nor DNA damage. But exposure
to high doses may cause certain effects to human health, such as nerve
injury and stomachaches. Ce 6301 Lec 8 16
Effect

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 CONTROL MEASURE
Reverse Osmosis Systems
The most cost-effective method for removing arsenic from a private water supply appears
to be reverse osmosis, commonly called RO. RO can be thought of as filtration at a
molecular level. It works by forcing water through a special, selective membrane. The
membrane has microscopic pores that are specially sized to allow water molecules
through, while trapping larger inorganic molecules like lead, iron, chromium and arsenic.

Anionic Exchange Systems

Anionic exchange systems use a physical/chemical process to exchange ions between
a resin bed and water passing through. These systems soften water, remove iron and
manganese, and lower nitrate and arsenic levels. These systems work by passing
water through the resin bed, which is charged with chloride ions from dissolved salt.
Arsenic molecules in the water replace these chloride ions by knocking them off and
taking their place. This process continues until all of the sites on the resin are full. The
resin is then backwashed with water that is super-saturated with dissolved salt. The
chlorine ions in this backwash water strip the embedded arsenic molecules out of the
resin and into the backwash wastewater.

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Iron Oxide Filter Systems
Iron oxide filters are a relatively new and promising method for lowering arsenic levels
in private drinking water systems. Like activated carbon, these granular filters have
large amounts of surface area and an affinity for arsenic to adhere to its surface.
Although these filters are fairly new to the home treatment market, the principals
behind them have been used by public water suppliers for many years.
Iron oxide media can be housed in small inline filter cartridges (point-of-use) or in
larger tanks like the ones used for ion exchange systems (point-of-entry). These filters
can be used to enhance the performance of reverse osmosis systems that are not
effectively removing As (III). The media can be disposed of as non-hazardous waste.

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Fluoride Removal

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